Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison last week. Following the decision, Donald Trump has confirmed that the rapper asked for a presidential pardon.
Judge Arun Subramanian handed Combs a sentence of four years and two months after being found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in July.
Speaking in the Oval Office on October 6th, Trump revealed that Combs requested a pardon regarding his sentencing.
“A lot of people have asked me for pardons,” he said, according to ABC News. “I call him Puff Daddy; he has asked me for a pardon.”
In August, the rapper’s lawyer, Nicole Westmoreland, confirmed that his team had discussions with the Trump Administration. “It’s my understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon,” she told CNN.
However, during an interview with Newsmax, Trump criticised Combs over his comments when he was running for president. “I was very friendly with him, I got along with him great and he seemed like a nice guy,” he said. “I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”
He added that while “we don’t like to have things cloud our judgment,” Combs’ “terrible statements” made a pardon “more difficult to do.”
Despite his comments, a source close to the Trump administration stated that a presidential pardon was being “seriously considered,” increasing from “just another Trump weave to an actionable event.”
Trump first addressed Combs’ situation in May. He told reporters, “Nobody’s asked, but I know people are thinking about it. First of all, I’d look at what’s happening, and I haven’t been watching it too closely. I haven’t seen him. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”
